Maharatia Tama Hura posted photos of himself posing with firearms. Those photos are not pictured here. Photo / Stock Image
Maharatia Tama Hura posted photos of himself posing with firearms. Those photos are not pictured here. Photo / Stock Image
A man posted photos of himself to social media posing with guns, including a semi-automatic, which he says he had to “protect himself” after his house had reportedly been shot at “several times”.
Judge Gregory Hikaka said Maharatia Tama Hura, who has never held a firearm’s licence, had presented himself with a profile as someone who was armed and potentially “dangerous”.
“Point being Mr Hura, if you’re going to do that sort of thing, the public presentation of that when you don’t have a licence, it’s asking for trouble,” the judge said in New Plymouth District Court on Tuesday.
“Whatever’s going on to persuade you that you need firearms in order to protect yourself then you need to address that because it’s not a good situation all around.”
On June 19 this year, Hura, 37, posted a photo of himself holding a semi-automatic shotgun on his Facebook page.
This was followed by a photo he posted on July 1 of himself holding a different style of shotgun.
The posts prompted police to search his house where they found an Eternal Arms .410 calibre shotgun wrapped in his jacket in the lounge and eight rounds of ammunition for the firearm scattered on the kitchen table and throughout the property.
Following his arrest, Hura admitted having the gun and ammunition and told police “it was for protection as his house had been shot at several times”.
He did not reveal where he obtained the firearm or ammunition.
At the sentencing hearing, defence lawyer Nathan Bourke told the judge that beyond having a gun and the dangers of that, there was nothing nefarious going on.
“It’s not related to drugs or something else, he said it was for protection due to some issues he was having,” Bourke said.
Maharatia Tama Hura appeared in New Plymouth District Court on Tuesday. Photo / Tara Shaskey
He submitted a starting point of 16 to 18 months’ imprisonment was appropriate with an uplift for Hura’s criminal history, which included offensive weapons but not firearms.
Bourke said Hura was then due credit for background factors that led to his “very reactive way of approaching things” and his genuine remorse described in his presentence report.
Hura also immediately pleaded guilty to the charges - possessing a firearm and ammunition - and has been in custody since.
Police prosecutor Detective Sergeant Dave McKenzie did not take any issue with the defence’s submissions.
Judge Hikaka said Hura had a concerning history and that may be explained by reference to his background and the experiences he faced, and had no control over, as a child.
“You do now though ... you are in a position where you have agency which means you can make the call as to the sort of things you want to get involved in, the sort of things you want to do with the rest of your life.”
He encouraged Hura to make better choices and pointed out what his future would look like if he carried on with the pattern of getting into trouble.
“And that’s not a bright future at all.”
Judge Hikaka took into account Hura’s background and early guilty pleas before sentencing him to 15 months’ imprisonment.
He also wiped his fines and gave him leave to apply for home detention.
Tara Shaskey joined NZME in 2022 as a news director and Open Justice reporter. She has been a reporter since 2014 and previously worked at Stuff covering crime and justice, arts and entertainment, and Māori issues.
